My Reflection on Atlas Video

  After watching the Atlas video titled “Understanding How to Round Decimals” (Case 2455), I realized that the teaching model of mathematics and the learning model of language could be combined to meet the teaching needs. The teacher's main goal in this lesson is to let students practice expressing the concept of rounding in writing and orally, to draw an outline after group discussion, and to evaluate each student by making a video. Although the short 15-minute video only focuses on how teachers participate and assist students in group discussions.

            As a math teacher who intends to be K-8, I am more focused on learning the teaching strategies and methods used in math classes through instructional videos on Atlas Video. This case is not the most exciting class I have seen. However, after learning the teacher's lesson plan in the video, I realized that the teaching strategy he chose was very much in line with his needs. Diversified teaching strategies make teachers adopt colorful teaching strategies for students with different learning levels even if they teach the same knowledge content. The aim is to develop teaching strategies suitable for students according to their abilities. In this case, I realize that good communication involves listening and talking in a way that makes your child feel that the ideas they convey are important and valued. Through watching Atlas videos, I find that there are different ways to communicate with children including active listening, sympathizing with children's views, understanding nonverbal communication, and giving feedback.

            The 12 Grade 5 students in the video are all labeled as talent development (TD). In this case, the teacher engages students in activities that allow them to use higher-order thinking skills, such as analysis, evaluation, and creation. The teacher gives opportunities for students to participle in group discussions and express their ideas to practice communication skills. Through this group activity, students reflect on their performance and summarize what they have learned. It’s easy to see the teacher has created a respectful environment where students can share ideas and discoveries.

As I learned from the book titled “Those Who Can, Teach,14 Edition”, Ryan (2016) points out that “Integrating technology into teaching can change the way you deliver content to the classroom.” Technology can be more effective in a teaching environment where computers help to facilitate instruction and foster a constructivist approach to learning.

However, Technology Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) is based on the work of Lee Shulman on teaching content Knowledge (PCK) which is a framework to help us conceptualize how technology can be used to enhance teaching and learning (Kurt, 2019). Schulman believes that PCK is the ability of teachers to transform subject knowledge into a form that learners can master. In other words, teachers can be skilled in using digital video in their domains, but they must also understand how to use it for effective learning. In addition, factors such as individual educators, specific grade levels, class demographics, and so on will mean that each situation will require a slightly different approach to educational technology integration. No single combination of content, teaching methods, and educational techniques will work in every environment, and TPACK leaves room for practitioners to adapt their frameworks to suit different environments (Kurt, 2019).

At the beginning of the video, there are no students who want to share their answers. I notice that the teacher quickly switches the instructional strategies “Head Together”.  “Head Together” works especially well for students already working in small groups, especially if they are sitting at a table or cluster of desks together in a traditional classroom. It’s very convenient for the teacher to present a question to the class. Announce “Heads Together!” Students stand up and lean in toward the others in the small group – heads together! In their group, students discuss answers to the question. After a minute or two, announce “Heads Apart!” Students end their discussion and sit back down. Then, the teacher follows up with a whole group discussion and continues with the lesson. There are several benefits, such as every student participating, standing up – that little bit of physical activity – can be enough to increase student engagement and get their focus back on the work at hand, and so on. 

Making full use of instructional strategies and integrating technology into teaching, helps you to be an effective teacher and benefit your student.